At the end of her visit in South Sudan, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, called for the full implementation of the Action Plan signed by the Government to end the recruitment and use of children in the country’s national security forces.
“I am pleased that the Government recommitted to the Action Plan,” said the Special Representative. “But the real work begins now and I will not rest until I see children released from the ranks of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, accountability for those who have recruited them and progress that makes a real difference in children’s lives.”
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- South Sudan Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs Kuol Manyang Juuk signed the recommitment agreement to the action plan. ©OSRSG-CAAC
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- Toby Lanzer, Deputy Special Representative in South Sudan, signed on behalf of the United Nations ©OSRSG-CAAC
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- Leila Zerrougui, UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, witnessed the agreement.©OSRSG-CAAC
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- UNICEF Representative in South Sudan, Jonathan Veitch, witnessed the agreement. ©OSRSG-CAAC
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- The signature took place at the SPLA headquarters in Juba©OSRSG-CAAC
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- The Minister of Defence, SPLA commanders and United Nations colleague showed their support for the campaign Children, Not Soldiers.©OSRSG-CAAC
During her visits to Bentiu, Bor, Pibor and Gumuruk, Leila Zerrougui met with local Government officials. She saw several children recruited by the SPLA and armed groups. She visited schools used by the military, a hospital looted and saw the massive population displacements caused by the conflict and the threat of inter-communal violence.
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- This school in Bentiu has been taken over by the military and is now used as an army barrack. ©OSRSG-CAAC
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- The desks have been taken out of the classrooms and are used to dry clothes and military uniform. ©OSRSG-CAAC
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- This used to be the girl’s school, according to colleagues at UNICEF, one of Bentiu’s best. ©SRSG-CAAC
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- Bentiu’s hospital was the only functioning medical facility in the area. ©SRSG-CAAC
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- In April, the hospital was attacked. Patients were killed in their hospital beds. ©SRSG-CAAC
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- The hospital was completely looted and has been closed since.©SRSG-CAAC
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- Traces of the hospital’s extensive looting are everywhere. ©SRSG-CAAC
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- With malnutrition rates soaring, the clinic to treat children sits empty, just like the rest of the hospital. ©SRSG-CAAC
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- The population of the protection of civilians site, at the UN compound, has increased dramatically in the past few weeks. ©SRSG-CAAC
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- Over 40,000 people now live in dire conditions at the overcrowded camp. ©SRSG-CAAC
In a meeting on Monday, the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, agreed to work with the United Nations to ensure his security forces become and remain child free. The President also recognized the importance of protecting education in times of conflict and promised to vacate all schools used by the military.
In Gumuruk, she met with David Yau Yau, the leader of the South Sudan Democratic Movement\Army, an armed group with a large number of children in its ranks. He recognized he is using children and declared he was ready to collaborate with the United Nations to release them.
“Reintegrating all the children recruited and used by all parties must be a priority and I call on the international community to provide sufficient resources to help these children take back their lives and create alternatives so they can grow up to become productive citizens,” Zerrougui said.
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- In Gumuruk, Leila Zerrougui met David Yau Yau, the leader of the South Sudan Democratic Movement\Army. ©OSRSG-CAAC
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- A child recruited by the South Sudan Democratic Movement\\Army. ©OSRSG-CAAC
She added that an inclusive peace process that takes children’s needs into account is essential to resolve the crisis and build durable peace.
“Accountability is another key element,” she declared. “There is no reconciliation possible if those who killed, maimed, raped, recruited and used children never face justice.”
The Special Representative travelled to South Sudan with artist and UNESCO Special Envoy Forest Whitaker. During the visit, he formally announced his support for the campaign Children, Not Soldiers, which aims to end the recruitment and use of children by Government security forces by 2016.
